Luxury, luxury, LUXURY ....aaarrrrgh

What an over-abused word these days!! We need the marketing genii of the world (no, I am not including myself in that little group) to come up with something a little less obtuse and more interesting to describe our amazing products. Considering it is blantantly used in the yachting industry for anything from 65 feet to 65 metres and upwards, there is an obvious need for a more discerning vocabulary. The fact is, that most yachts are luxurious, stupendous, incredible ... to the point where luxury is a bland descriptive for what the majority of the yachts actually offer ... so, inventive minds out there, here is an opening!



115m Pelorus

Comments

[Jose Castillo]

Sometimes the words that speak the softest carry the most weight. Consider the simple elegance of a diamond and the hefty price tag which it holds. The realm of "luxury" almost always deals in extremes and opposites. The smallest phone, the largest engine, the rarest caviar, the most elite club, the oldest wine, etc. So think very small and simple compared to the mammoth yacht - understated and exclusive.

Besides, it's not the yacht your selling... its the story that the owner gets to tell his golfing buddies, various heads of state, friends at the dinner party, etc.

[Sussie Kidd]

Hi Jose, thanks for the feedback. It's not the selling I have a problem with and I LOVE getting my clients the most amazing yacht to charter - believe me, it is really exciting, especially for clients that have never chartered before. I was interested to see what new vocabulary we could create rather than the bandied "luxury" that everyone seems to cling to.

[Brooks Moses]

I think Jose's comment applies to the vocabulary too, on some level. There's a bit of advice that gets tossed about among writers of novels, "Show, don't tell." What that means is: most of the time, saying "Bob was angry" doesn't have nearly the emotional impact as saying "Bob rose out of his chair, nearly clenching his hands into fists before pounding them against the table." The emotion in the latter statement comes from the fact that it's directly illustrated -- nouns and verbs, images and details -- rather than merely described in passive adjectives.

That's the real problem with the word "luxury", and why it's so bland. It doesn't describe what anything is; it merely describes how the listener is expected to feel about it. If you haven't given the listener any evidence to back that up, it's mostly meaningless. If you have given the listener enough evidence, then it's redundant.

Also, that's going to be a problem with any word that means the same thing. It's generic, and because it's generic, it's powerless to elicit emotion.

I think that's where the answer to your question is, too. A more discerning vocabulary avoids generic fluffy words, regardless of how fresh and new they might be, and talks about specifics -- what makes this particular yacht different from all the other yachts? Why exactly is it the "most amazing yacht"? What makes it different from other experiences the clients might be comparing it to? What are the telling details?